1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fabric rest board for a serger machine.
2. Description of the Background Art
A serger machine is typically an industrial machine used for special cutting/sewing operations. Specifically, serger machines are used to cut fabric, such as the hem of a garment, while sewing the cut edge in overlapping securement to prevent unravelling of the edge and to enhance the appearance of the garment.
Most conventional serger machines are industrial machines for use in factories. However, light weight, less expensive serger machines are being developed for use in the home. These serger machines are considerably lighter, more compact and less expensive than their industrial counterparts. However, they present special problems associated with use in the home.
The serger machine for use in the home must be positioned at or near the edge of a table or support on which the serger machine rests so that the cut pieces or remnants of fabric fall into a bag or receptacle attached to the front of the machine. Since the serger machine is positioned at the edge of the table, most of the fabric hangs down between the front edge of the table and the operator. The operator is forced to hold the fabric in his/her lap and between his/her knees and the front edge of the table so the fabric in the machine, i.e., the fabric being cut and stitched, is not pulled by its own weight from between the feeder-dogs of the serger machine producing an incorrect cut or stitch. The moves which the operator must perform in maintaining the position of the fabric are difficult, awkward and tiresome. Accordingly, serger machines for use in the home cannot be operated continuously for long periods of time.
Serger machines are different from sewing machines in various respects, and the conventional rest boards that are used with sewing machines are, therefore, not readily adapted for use with serger machines. For example, serger machines include a cutting blade for cutting excess material as the fabric is sewn. The excess material falls into and is collected in a bag which is attached to, and hangs in front of and below, the serger machine. Sewing machines do not employ a bag which would interfere with the position or shape of the rest board, and rest boards which are designed to be used with sewing machines are, therefore, not easily modified or adapted for use with serger machines. Further, unlike sewing machines, serger machines have an access area positioned on one side of the serger machine below the work surface. The operator accesses this area frequently to remove debris accumulating from the cut pieces and to maintain the condition of the cutting blade. Sewing machines do not have the same access area nor do they require such frequent access below the level of the work surface. Conventional rest boards designed for use with sewing machines are positioned level with the work surface, and the operator must, therefore, reach under the rest board or, in the alternative, remove the rest board to obtain access to the lower portion of the sewing machine. By way of contrast, a rest board for a serger machine should allow the operator to quickly and easily access the lower portion of the machine. Another important difference between sewing machines and serger machines is that the cutting blade in a serger machine is typically aligned to cut in one direction. A piece of fabric is fed through the serger machine in a straight line (generally from the front of the machine, i.e., between the operator and the serger machine) to achieve the proper cut and stitch, whereas the fabric run through a sewing machine can be fed from the operator's left or right side, or at almost any angle with respect to the sewing machine and the sewing needle. Thus, unlike sewing machines, fabric rest boards for serger machines should provide a forward projecting rigid board on which to rest the fabric as it is run through the serger machine. Because of these and other differences, serger machines require their own special attachments in order to increase the ease in which they are operated and, therefore, to enhance their performance.
Some conventional fabric rest boards employ a U-shaped design with four legs to support the rest board at the same level as the working surface of the sewing machine. Two of the legs are positioned in front of the sewing machine between the sewing machine and the operator. However, since serger machines must be positioned at or near the edge of the support table to accommodate the bag for collecting cut pieces of fabric, there is no room on the support table to support the legs of the conventional fabric rest board. Thus, these conventional fabric rest boards are not intended, nor can they be readily adapted, for use with a serger machine. In fact, the inventor is not aware of any such devices for use with a serger machine.